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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

The North Face S/S'14 Running Gear Review

Wearing my TNF gear, yo.

Introduction

As much as I
love reviewing shoes, I really like reviewing running apparel. You can have the
most amazing shoes on your feet when you go out for a run, but if the apparel
doesn’t feel right it can still make for a pretty lousy run.

After our
Fall/Winter ’14 The North Face apparel review, The North Face sent us some of
their Spring/Summer ’14 running apparel and Mountain Athletics line-up to
review for our blog. I’ll definitely say that over the years The North Face has
become one of my favorite companies for both casual and running apparel. Here’s
a list of what is reviewed below:

The North Face Torpedo Jacket

You can tell a
lot about a jacket by the way it feels before you put it on, but not always.
When I first got the TNF Torpedo jacket, I thought it would make a great jacket
for colder weather (when layered), early spring/late fall mornings, or even as
a stowaway jacket during the summer. That seems to cover most of the year
except crazy cold winter temperatures, right? Right.

TNF Torpedo Jacket

I’ve run in this
jacket in about every temperature you can imagine that occurs between 30*F to
80*F. It performs well in the cold when layered with The North Face (INSERT).
When it’s between about 45-60*F, I usually wear The North Face (Better Than
Naked) top underneath and it’s perfect. I’ve even worn this jacket to test up
to 80*F on a shady, windy day, and while I was worn, when I kept it unzipped
almost all the way it was OK, especially when it was raining pretty hard.

TNF Torpedo in its natural environment

When it rains or
snows, the jacket gets wet for sure since it’s not waterproof but it’s
resistant enough that I didn’t get soaked underneath and it dries pretty darn
quickly.

I’ll also add
that this jacket is quite wind-resistant.

The back pockets
were great for putting my train pass, some money, phone, and some gels.

TNF Torpedo Jacket - The pockets on the back and the vents, love it!

It also makes
for a pretty decent everyday jacket. Multiple uses!

The North Face Mountain Athletics Ampere
Short-Sleeve Crew

I was super
excited when TNF sent us some of their new Mountain
Athletics gear, which is a new line of clothing from The North Face designed
for multiple outdoor activities while providing the classic TNF durability. The
Ampere Short-Sleeve crew has quickly become one of my favorites. Besides having
a somewhat athletic fit, the Body-Mapped
ventilation and FlashDry-XD fabric makes this shirt one of a kind.

TNF Ampere Shorts Sleeve

I primarily used
this shirt to either layer during colder temperatures or as a stand alone
during warmer temps, so it’s quite versatile. I think this shirt particularly
excels in moderate to warm, humid weather and rainy conditions. No nipple
chaffing occurred while wearing it, which is a big plus for me. Even after
downpours or even light mists, the Ampere SS crew dries very quickly on the
run. On humid days, it wicks sweat away just enough so that it doesn’t becomes
like a typical technical shirt that is just soaking wet afterwards. It dries
off and keeps me cool during humid runs.

Crushing some loops in the TNF Ampere Shorts Sleeve

The North Face Mountain Athletics
Kilowatt 1/4 Zip

Another classic
from the new Mountain Athletics lineup
is the Kilowatt ¼ zip. This piece has abrasion-resistant fabric, which should
be good for those of you carrying sandbags or using ropes to climb during
inclement weather, cooler weather, or windy conditions. I just run, so I cannot
comment on this, but this long-sleeve 1/4 th zip has the feel of durability and
quality.

TNF Kilowatt 1/4th Zip

I wore the
Kilowatt primarily on really windy, cool, or rainy runs when temps were 65
degrees and under. If it was around 50-65 degrees, I would wear it without any
layers underneath, under about 45 degrees, though, I would layer it with either
TNF Better Than Naked shirt or the Ampere Short-Sleeve crew. Again, the
FlashDry-XD technology is legit – whether in rain, snow, or humid conditions,
it dries quickly on the run and never has that “heavy from water” effect that
is common in most technical fabric.

The North Face GTD Running Shorts 5”

The GTD running
shorts 5” are without a doubt one of my favorite shorts. While we here at Vagabond
Running like to run in short-shorts, sometimes it’s nice to show a little less
leg. For some reason, when it’s super humid or rainy, I tend to chafe a bit
more, and I appreciate the extra material running down inner thigh that
prevents chaffing. The FlashDry technology also meant that on humid and rainy
runs, the shorts don’t stay wet that long, which I REALLY love. Nothing like
running in wet shorts for more than an hour to ruin a perfectly good run in my
opinion. I also like the liner brief, which I come to expect in all my shorts
now. That extra support is nice. There’s also a back zip pocket that is just
big enough to hold some cash, a gel or two, and my house keys without weighing
the shorts down. The elastic band is loose enough around the waist that I never
feel any discomfort, which is important since I have a sensitive GI.

TNF GTD Running Shorts 5"

Conclusion

5/5 here. Love this gear; love The North Face. Not only is this great gear for Spring and Summer, but it's solid gear for Fall, too! We at Vagabond Running highly recommend the TNF gear reviewed above.

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